KCRW's To the Point

Frustration with New York's closed primary and a record number of complaints about voting glitches yesterday raise questions about the health of our election system. Fair voting advocates are predicting even more cases of voters being shut out of the polls in November by strict new voter ID laws ­­ We look at the myriad fears about access to the ballot.

The Supreme Court heard arguments today that could decide the fate of President Obama's most sweeping executive action on immigration. His program would delay deportations for some four million immigrants. Twenty-six states and Republican leaders say the constitution doesn't grant him the power to do it.

During his final months in office, President Obama is pushing hard for new financial regulations. Wall Street and the Republicans are fighting back, while progressives complain the new rules don't go far enough. We look at the possible consequences for Obama's White House legacy.

College is now regarded as the "new high-school," with a four-year degree considered necessary for success in America's evolving economy. So why are so many four-year graduates underemployed and ill-equipped for the high-skilled jobs that are available? Would vocational schools better serve the workforce — and the economy? 

New studies show an Antarctic ice sheet larger than Mexico is likely to melt much sooner than had been predicted. It could mean disaster for coastal civilization. But, despite the potential consequences for young people living today, policy makers.

Western officials say they've increased "momentum" against the Islamic State, and high-ranking ISIS leaders are being killed. But can military action destroy ISIS if Muslim societies don't address angry young people caught between modernization and an ancient religion?

Around the country, expanding legal protections for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people are being challenged -- often in the name of religious liberty. But the sports world and corporate America are lining up with LGBT people.

The "unified" countries of Europe are being challenged to crack down on terrorists within their own borders—while preserving the values of liberal democracy. We update the scene in Brussels after the second terrorist attack in just four months and hear the response of candidates for the White House who've seized the issue for their campaigns.

For the first time in almost 90 years, an American President has gone to Havana — but it's unclear how much political distance he's traveled. The Castro regime is still rounding up political dissidents, and Congress will not lift the economic embargo. We hear about a historic visit and the potential outcomes.

Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump disagree on a lot of things, but when it comes to the trade policies of recent presidents — both Democrat and Republican — they use almost the same language. We hear about "free trade" and political trade-offs.

The United States has 18,000 police departments, all entitled to use deadly force — but without any national standard on when to use it — or why. Recent shootings of unarmed suspects have police chiefs making policy changes that aren't going down well with the rank and file. We hear more about a debate that's raging from Baltimore to San Francisco.

With the summer Olympics scheduled in August, there's growing concern about an outbreak of the Zika virus in Brazil, the host country. Have world health officials waited too long to find out if the virus really produces the birth defect microcephaly?

The FBI is trying to crack down on tech giant Apple — using a law passed in 1789. We hear how a case pitting national security against iPhone privacy might lead to an act of Congress.

Only a fraction of Democrats and Republicans have been heard from so far, and Super Tuesday is still more than a week away. But the battle lines are hardening for both presidential campaigns. Can Trump be stopped? Can Clinton be slowed down?

What tomorrow's presidential contests in Nevada and South Carolina say about the viability of establishment candidates momentum have real staying power.